Welcome To Family
by Deadly Fangs
Summary: The humans and cars living in Radiator Springs think that the danger is past them, that they're safe since He's gone...little do they know that another danger from their not to distance past is going to pop up again. Will they beat this one, or will it beat them? Rated M for future topics.
1. New Home

Disclaimer: I don't own Cars or any of its characters. I own Rocket and all the humans except for James. He belongs to McQueenfan95 and cannot be used without his permission.

Well well, here was are again. A new story popping up when I STILL have so many unfinished ones...oh well. I'll get to them in time, but not today...anyway, this is a sequel to my other Cars story, My Little Sister Is A Human. You might want to read that first before you start this one, things will make more sense. Anyway, enjoy!

 **XxX**

Jen sighed as she stretched and looked around the room. Mostly everything was in place, a few boxes with donated items in a corner but for the most part the bedroom was complete. Outside she could hear James hammering away. It had taken many long months to rebuild their home, but at long last, she, James and Rocket once again had a place to live. (Sure. It'll take some time but I should get it to you by tomorrow morning at the lastest. I have to give this time to reload the chat before I copy and paste things.)

(That'll be fine.) James was on the front porch, nailing in the last few nails

"How's it coming along?" Rocket asked as he drove up behind him, wincing when the hammer hit James thumb.

"Ow! Mother!" James shouted. "Well, its almost finished. Just a couple more nails."

"And now you get to use that medical kit Doc gave you guys." He drove back a little while James held his thumb for a few moments before going back to hammering. "But all in all, it looks great. Hard to believe it took us almost five months."

"I know" said James, "hard to believe that a year ago, this was an old, rotting building"...

"A year ago, none of us ever met. But anyway..." Rocket watched as James finished his work and stepped back to look up at the new two story house.

"Its finally finished" james said with a smile.

"It's a nice looking place...and thanks for adding a garage for me. Now I don't have to stay at the Cosy Cone anymore."

"That's exactly why we added that" said James.

Rocket frowned slightly at that. "Speaking of 'we', I haven't seen Jen all day. Where is she?"

James shrugged. "I think she's upstairs... I'll go check"

"Kay. In the meantime, I'm gonna go check my new room out." As he drove in, James could hear him saying 'Hey! I can turn around in here! Awesome!'

"Plenty of room for two!" James called. He went inside, kicked off his boots and climbed the stairs. "Jen? Baby? Honey, where are ya?"

He heard a noise from upstairs and went to see if she was there. The bedrooms and the bathroom where on the second floor and he headed towards their room. Opening the door, he found her sitting on the bed with a small package in her hands.

"Hey baby" he said, "what ya got there?"

"Dunno. Zack put it in one of the donation boxes...and I know it's from him by his crappy handwriting." She lifted the package and showed him her badly written name on the front. "He tries though, I'll give him that."

James looked at the package in Jen's hands. "I wonder what it could be.

"Only one way to find out." And with that, she started to tear the paper off, dropping it into the waste basket set near their bed. When all the paper was off, she held out an old, sun bleached blanket that had clearly seen better days.

"A blanket?" James asked, puzzled.

Jen didn't say anything, just continued to stare at the blanket before slowly bringing to her chest and hugging it close.

"I take it you've seen that blanket before?"

She nodded slowly, not looking up when she spoke. "He went back there...to that cursed village...and brought me back...brought me back the only thing my Mom was able to make for me...this is my blanket James...my Mom made it for me..." She clunched the blanket slightly tighter. "I thought He burned it..."

"Wow..." said James.

"How'd he even know what to look for...I never told anyone about this except Rocket..."

"Maybe Rocket told him...

"Rocket was just a kid himself James...that was the only time I told him..." She ran a hand over a worn edge of the blanket, tracing the stitches her mother had worked into it so many years before. "If he did, I'm surprised he remembered..."

"You'll have to ask him" said james.

She nodded her head but made no move to get up. "Later. Right now I just..." She gripped the blanket tighter again. "I just want to remember...and hey...when we have kids, they'll have something from their grandmother..."

James held Jen and kissed her cheek.

She closed her eyes and leaned against him, opening them again after she had calmed down enough. "By the way, Doc is after us about the whole last name thing again. He really wants us to pick something and for it to be soon."

"I know, I know..." said James, "We'll think of something"

"It's been about five months hun, he's starting to get impatient. He's threatened to pick out a name himself if we don't, and he said this, 'Get our heads out of our asses and pick a name.' Who's been teaching him these human sayings?"

"I know, I know... And that may have been me"

"But he should understand, picking a last name isn't just choosing a random word... It can't be rushed... Its going to be passed down our bloodline for generations..

She gave him a look. "Okay, that needs to stop because hearing that come out of his mouth was just plain weird. And I know that and so does he but he needs a name for the records he plans on making now that there's a human reservation right next to the town." She blinked. "Oh before I forget Sam was wondering if we could watch the kids later on this afternoon. He's been working non stop again."

"Of course. We can watch the kids.

"Alright, I'll let him know. They'll all need a nap but it shouldn't be to hard to set up some blankets in the living room."

"We can lay some some mats for them"

"Sounds like we have a plan. You wanna let him know? I think he's working on the fence again."

"Sure. I'll go talk to him."

Jen watched as James left their room to go and find Sam. They would watch his kids no problem, but the man couldn't keep working himself to the bone. Meanwhile on the outskirts of town, Sam was hammering away at one of the many fences that needed fixing.

James walked down the stairs, out the door and followed the sound of hammering to where Sam was working.

Sam paused in his work when a shadow fell across him. Glancing up slightly, he offered a slightly scared wave when he saw Kindle. "Hello..."

"I don't know what you're doing" said Kindle, "you may have the others fooled, but you ain't foolin me.

"Please...I don't know what you're talking about..." He flinched back when Kindle snapped at him. "This! Fucking fixing up everything, going out of your way to 'help' others! I don't know what fucking game you're playing boy, but when you screw up I'M going to be the one to bring you down!"

"KINDLE!" James shouted, running over to them, "why can't you just leave the poor boy alone?

"Because he's got the wool pulled over your eyes! You have a wife to care for now and he's a threat to her! Mark my words, if he continues to stay here, she's going to get hurt."

"Ever think that maybe the only one getting hurt here is him, getting hurt by you?"

Kindle narrowed his eyes and pointed to a cowering Sam, the younger man hunched over his tool box and shaking. "He worked for Him. Remember what He did to your wife? What He almost did to Rocket? This guy is no better."

"How... DARE you!" James said, seething, "you get the fuck out of my sight before I snap you in half!"

Both of them were so enraged at each other they didn't notice Sam quietly gather up his tools and leave, heading back towards his slightly run down home. He made sure the children's rooms were well taken care of, as well as the bathroom, but anything that was 'his' was left to ruin. "You watch your mouth when you're talking to me BOY!" He poked James in the chest.

"You think you can take me, OLD MAN?" He pointed to his face and said, "anytime you're ready, I'll giveya a free one, cmon! Lemme have it!"

Kindle narrowed his eyes even more and swatted James hand out of his face, growling lowly as he did so.

"Old man?! You show me some respet boy!"

"MAYBE YOU SHOULD SHOW SAM SOME GOD DAMN RESPECT FOR A CHANGE!"

Their voices rang loud, anger and frustation clear in very word. Cars didn't want to get involved for fear of hurting one of them and the rest of the humans didn't want to get hurt themselfs. Didn't stop them from watching the fight happen from a safe distance though. Kindle had finally had enough and drew his arm back to punch James in his face. He was only trying to help, but if he didn't want to listen then so be it.

Finally, Kindle threw his punch. James caught his fist, countered, grabbed his forearm and flipped him over his head, slamming the older man into the ground.

When the dust cleared, Kindle still layed flat on his back, a shocked expression on his face.

James looked down at the older man and said, "and for your information, I only give respect to those who prove they deserve it. The tiny sliver of respect I had for you is gone..."

Slowly pushing himself up when James walked away, Kindle felt a tiny bit of guilt for what he just did.

 **XxX**

And that's the end of chapter one. So, what did you guys think? Please let me know, as it keeps me motivated to write more.

Remember! Reading + Reviewing equals one happy Deadly Fangs!


	2. Finding Out

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

Hello again my peeps, we bring you yet another chapter of Welcome To Family! This one is ment for mature readers only, as it touches on some sensitive subjects. You have been warned. Anyway, read and enjoy.

 **XxX**

Jen woke up with a small groan, blinking slowly as sunlight filtered into the bedroom. For the fifth morning in a row, she felt like her stomach was doing backflips

James heard her groan and asked, "still sick, hon?"

"Yeah..." Came her muffled reply. "Must be a bug or something..." She looked over at him and saw that he was already dressed for the day. "How long have you been up...?"

James shrugged. "Not long...maybe you should see Doc about that bug...just incase..."

She shook her head while slowly pushing herself up. "No, I'm sure it's nothing...remember when I had that fever? That was-" She cut herself off before she could say anything else, turning slightly green. Quickly rushing past James, she ran to the bathroom and promptly threw up into the toilet.

"You're going to see Doc when you're finished throwing up."

"No...I'm not...!" Breathing hard, she threw up again and leaned against the tub, one hand resting on her twisting stomach.

"Yes, you are." Said James firmly.

She mearly groaned again before waving him off, knowing by now he'd be watching her from the doorway, frowning slightly when he said he would get Zack over here if she didn't go. "Don't drag my brother into this..."

"Then go to Doc, have him take a look, and then come back."

"Ugh, fine..." She waited until he left before she pushed herself up and headed back to their room, quickly getting dressed before going downstairs and heading out the door.

James was waiting for her at the door. "Please, allow me to walk you there."

Jen gave him a small smile. "You just want to make sure I really go there..." But she still took his hand and waited for him to close the door behind them before heading off down the street. "So...you have anything planned for the day?"

"Not really" Said James, "I was just planning on doing a payback prank on Evan...throwing a balloon of water onto him...but I had Rocket tip him off...so I'm counter pranking him..."

"I will never understand you boys and your need to prank one another...and really? Counter pranking? What happened to a good old pie in the face?"

"That was on Zack, and Evan dumped punch on Rocket at our wedding, so he's gonna get it back."

"I always wondered why Rocket was suddenly chasing Evan around..." They stopped in front of the clinic and knocked, going in when Doc said the door was open.

James kissed her cheek. "Honey, this is where I leave you. I'll see you later. I love you."

Smiling tiredly, Jen gave him a quick kiss back and watched him go, sighing when Doc asked what the problem was. "I think I have a stomach bug...been throwing up for most of the week already."

Doc nodded. "A diagnosis comes to mind, but youd better get on the table...I'm going to run a couple tests, just to be sure."

Doing as she was told, Jen got up onto the padded table and relaxed. "It's just a stomach bug, I use to get them all the time as a kid...just ask Rocket, he always looked after me."

"That might be true, but i'd rather be sure." Said Doc.

"I know I know...after everything that happened within the last year, you don't want to take any chances..." With that said, she allowed Doc to do his tests, looking fairly bored but no longer green.

A short time later, Jen pulled her jeans back up while Doc swirled a test tube. "OK, now we just need to wait 90 seconds..."

"Did I really have to do that?" Jen mumbled to herself while buttoning up her jean, watching Doc closely. "What's that test for anyway? I'm telling you, it's a stomach bug."

"It probably is..." said Doc, "But I need to be sure."

"You've been saying that for the past twenty minutes..." She leaned against the table and watched, frowning slightly when the test tube suddenly turned blue.

"Just as I suspected." said Doc, holding up the test tube.

She moved to stand beside him, looking at the blue tube. "And that means...c'mon Doc, don't leave me hanging here."

Doc smiled and said, "It means...you're pregnant."

Jen blinked at him, unsure if he was kidding or not. When it became clear he was serious, her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. "I'm WHAT?!"

"You're with child." Doc said calmly. "That test tube was a pregnancy test...you were showing symptoms of morning sickness, a bullseye indicator of the early signs of pregnancy."

She continued to stare, turning slightly green again. She quickly headed over to the garbage can Doc now kept in his clinic and threw up yet again, groaning when she was finished. "Fuck..."

"Honestly" said Doc, "As healthy as your love life has been since the wedding, I'm surprised it took just over a year..."

Wiping the her mouth with the back of her hand, Jen slowly stood up, one hand on her stomach again but for a whole new reason. "Rule number one...no talking about my love life...please...little weird for me..." She shook slightly while looking at him. "Shit Doc, you're 100% sure about this...?"

"Sorry" said Doc. He nodded to the test tube and said, "The test tube doesn't lie...but just to be sure, when was your last period?

She made a face. "Dude, getting a little personal there..." She glanced away when Doc raised an eyeridge and waited, after a moment. "Almost two months ago...but my cycle was never normal!"

Doc nodded. "Uh huh...I'm sorry these questions are a little personal, but I need to know to be sure... Here, I'll let you write the answer to the next question... " he slid her a questinaire on it. She looked and saw the next question was 'In the last month, during intercourse, has your partner ejaculated into your birth canal?'

Jen turned a dark shade of red Doc had never seen on a human before but quickly wrote down her answer before handing it back to him.

Doc glanced at her answer and put the clipboard away. "Well, that's all there is to it. You have a baby inside you..."

For a moment, it looked like she was going to panic. Instead, she got a blank look on her face. "Is there anything else I should know, or can I go now...?"

Doc said, "There's a few things..." He listed off the foods she shouldn't eat, things she shouldn't do, and other warnings about pregnancy.

Nodding, Jen waited until he was done before she turned and left for home. She couldn't tell James, not yet...if what Doc said was true, she wasn't even two months along...and the test could be wrong, there was no saying for sure.

Meanwhile, over at the cafe, Evan was laying on top of one of the awnings waiting for James, while James was on top of the cafe, taking aim with a water gallon.

"He'll never get me up here...just gotta keep my eyes peeled for him HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!" Everyone there looked up just in time to see Evan getting soaked with ice cold water while James just grinned and looked mighty pleased with himself.

"PAYBACKS A BITCH, BITCH!" James yelled at the now soaked Evan.

"You're gonna pay for that James!" Evan yelled back as he slowly climbed down from his spot and walked towards the small house he shared with his sister.

James, on the other hand, was laughing so hard he could barely climb down.

Everyone knew better by now then to get involved between the humans need to prank one another. It seemed like a game of sorts to them, always trying to out do the other. Sarge on the other tire, was annoyed by this and quickly rolled out, heading towards his home. On the way he saw Jen walking back, but when he went to greet her, she suddenly turned and threw up into a trash bin.

"Uh oh." said Sarge, "You ok, kid? Still got the stomach flu?"

"I'm fine Sarge...and yeah...stomach flu...shit on a stick..."

"Then you should go home and get some rest."

"Belive me, no amount of rest is going to make this better..." She shook her head when he asked what she ment. "Nothing..."

"Ok, I won't pry." said Sarge.

"Thanks...if you see James, tell him I'm home..." With that said, she slowly started walking again.

"Want a ride?" Sarge asked.

For a moment, it looked like she would say no, her stubborness showing clear through what ailed her...but much to Sarge's surprise, she nodded her head and headed back towards him. "I'm sorry in advance if I throw up on you..."

"Its ok, I can get washed."

"Thanks..." With a bit of struggle, Jen climbed up onto Sarge's roof and relaxed as he turned and headed back to her place.

Sarge pulled off the road and right up to the front steps. "Here you are. I'll let James know you're here."

Much to Sarge's surprise again, she didn't jump off like she normally did. Instead, Jen slowly climbed back down, mumbled her thanks and went inside, closing the door quietly behind her.

Sarge drove back to the Café and let james know where Jen was.

"That stomach flu of hers must be pretty bad. Haven't seen her this worn out since she had that fever a couple summers ago."

"When Jen gets sick, it takes a toll on her...give her a few more weeks and she'll be back to normal." Rocket said while watching James leave to go check on her.

"I'm starting to think its not a stomach flu..." James said to himself as he walked back to the house.

"My sister caught something, just give her time to get over it." Rocket called after him.

James walked onto the porch and through the door. "Honey, I'm home!"

"Living room..." Walking into the room, James saw Jen resting on the couch, one arm covering her face while she layed on her back.

"Hi baby..." said James, "Want me to make you some broth?"

A small groan and a nod were his only answers.

He went into the kitchen, filled a pot with water, and threw a couple boulon cubes into it and placed it on the stove.

Back in the living room, Jen slowly placed her other hand on her stomach, wondering how she was going to tell James. They were only married for a little more then a year, and now...she didn't know what to do.

"So..." James said from the kitchen, "Did Doc saynwhat was wrong?"

"Y...yeah, he did...said it'll go away in a few more weeks...just gotta be careful of what I eat for a while."

"Are you sure?" James asked, "because it seems a lot like morning sickness..."

Darn it all, she hated lying to him...but she needed time to herself, to have this small secret...she would tell him in the end, she couldn't keep this from him forever, but she needed time. "I'm sure hun...everything's okay..."

"Ok." James said, taking the pot off the stove. "But I'll ask doc if he can give you a bottle of that pink, bismuth based anti-nauesa medicine that I can't remember the name of."

"If you value your hand, you'll keep that crap away from me...it tastes like shit." She rolled over onto her side when he said she doesn't really have much of a choice, pulling the pillow they kept on the couch over her head.

"Im sorry, honey, but its really bad for you to be throwing up this much, especially when you can't keep solid food down..."

Knowing that there was no way she could win, Jen let out another groan and held the pillow over her head.

At that time, James entered the living room carrying a tray. "Now let's get some broth in you."

 **XxX**

Bit of a slow ending, but it was the best we could come up with...

Remember! Reading + Reviewing equals one happy Deadly Fangs and McQueenfan95!


	3. Secret's Out

"Woohoo!" Jen yelled at the top of her lungs while Rocket zoomed down the road. "C'mon man, you can go fast then that! Let's speed it up!"

"You got it, Sis!" Rocket shouted over his engine.

"NOT IN MY TOWN YOU DON'T!" Sheriff shouted, pulled out of his hiding place, his lights flashing and siren winding up.

Jen took a quick glance behind her and winced. "Oh we are in SO much trouble! I don't know about you bro, but I am NOT listening to another of Doc's lectures!"

"I know what you mean! HANG ON!" He waited for Jen to grab his sunroof and he hit the throttle so hard, his tires squealed.

"Jen! Rocket! You two get your bumpers back here right now!" Sherrif called atfter them as Rocket slowly started to widen the gap between them.

"I don't have a bumper, I'm a human! Get it right!"

"I DON'T CARE! SLOW DOWN AND GET BACK HERE YOU HOODLUMS!"

"HOW ABOUT YOU SUCK MY TAILPIPE!" Rocket shouted back.

Laughing loudly as they left Sheriff in the dust, Jen watched as they got closer to town.

Meanwhile, Doc was sitting outside his clinic, when he heard the roar of the approaching motor.

"What the...?" He rolled out of his clinic and looked down the road, frowning deeply when he saw who it was. "Rocket, you crazy car! Your engine is still healing!"

Rocket saw Doc pulling out into the street with an angry look on his face. "OH SHIT!"

"What's wrong bro?" Jen looked up just before Rocket hit the brakes to see Doc stopping in the middle of the road. "Shit on a stick, we're dead!"

Sheriff pulled up behind them and said, "You two are in a HEAP of trouble."

"Jen, get down from there...right now!" Doc demanded as he stared the two fo them down.

Not wanting to push her luck, Jen slowly climbed down and stood next to Rocket.

"Now, what is the meaning of this? You two tearing thorugh town like that?" Doc demanded

"We were just having fun Roof Surfing...and besides, you said so yourself that Rocket needs more practice driving on the roads." Jen stated with a shrug of her shoulders.

Doc glared at her. "It's obvious that I didn't mean for him to be doing one hundred and twenty! And YOU! You're still healing!"

"Hey! That was over a year ago, the only issues I have now is my ankle when it gets to hot! It aches..."

"It's not just yourself you're putting in danger Jen."

"You shut your fucking mouth Doc! I decide when I tell others about that, not you!" Jen snapped before he could say anymore.

"Wait, what?" said Rocket.

Sheriff raised an eyeridge

"Rocket, don't ask..." Jen hissed out from between clenched teeth.

"Ok." Said Rocket, lifting his front end and angling his front tires in, in a shrug.

"You two are still in a heap of trouble." Sheriff said as he came up beside them.

Rolling her eyes, Jen mearly shrugged. "Whatever..."

"Rocket. In my clinic. Now. Jen. Home." Said Doc.

Grumbling to himself, Rocket slowly rolled into the clinic after waving by to Jen. "My engine doesn't hurt Doc, I don't see why I have to keep coming back for a check up ever week..."

"Becuse I said so," Said Doc, "Now, on the lift."

"Jerk..." Sighing loudly, Rocket did as he was told and got onto the lift, popping his hood when Doc got closer. "So...what were talking about with Jen was putting more then herself in danger?"

"None of your business" Doc said, curtly.

"She's my sister Doc, and if Roof Surfing puts her in greater danger, I want to know why...ow! Be careful in there!"

"I don't care if she's your mother. I can't talk about one patient with another patient. It's legally binding" Said Doc, "Now, If you don't stop asking questions I'm going to dip all my wrenches in ice water."

Rocket whimpered at the thought of freezing cold wrenches touching his sensitive insides.

While Rocket suffered through yet another check-up, Jen was getting an earful from Sheriff on the importance of road safety.

"Do you have any idea what would happen if you fell? What if Rocket were to crash? You know would happen then? You would be thrown along the ground, that's what!" Sheriff said

"This isn't the first time we've gone Roof Surfing Sheriff, remember when we first came to town? Rocket ALMOST crashed and I was thrown to the ground! I wasn't hurt!"

"It's called luck." said Sheriff, "And luck runs out...and second...I don't make the law. I just enforce it. Now, I'm gonna let you of...with a warning. But if I catch you Roof Surfing on the streets again, I'm not going easy on you."

"So surfing off the roads are clear, thanks." She went to grin while Sheriff scowled at her but froze, her stomach suddenly twisting.

"Are you alright?" Asked Sheriff,

"I...ugh...!" She quickly covered her mouth when she felt vomit quickly making its way up. Knowing she wouldn't be able to stop it, she turned, ran inbetween two buildings and threw up.

Sheriff pulled over to where she was and said, "You sure have been throwing up alot..."

Coughing and spitting, Jen had one arm wrapped around her stomach. "It'll...it'll stop...in a few more weeks..."

"Weeks?" Sheriff asked, "I thought the stomach flu went away after a few days"

"It's...not the stomach flu..."

"then, what is it?" Sheriff asked

Sighing heavily, Jen moved out into the street again, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "If I tell you, you can't tell anyone else..."

"Then in that case" Said Sheriff, "It's better I don't know."

"Thanks...listen, can I go now? I need to lay down before I throw up again..."

Sheriff nodded and said, "Ofcourse...do you need a ride back home?"

Swallowing hard to keep herself from being sick again, Jen nodded and slowly climbed up to sit on Sheriff's roof. "Thank you..."

"You're welcome." Said Sheriff, driving slowly over to her home. When they pulled up to the house he asked, "Do you want me to see if I can find James for you?"

Slowly climbing down, Jen shook her head and gave him a tired smile. "Thanks but no thanks Sheriff...I'm just going to sleep for a while..."

"Alright...have a good rest." Sheriff said, pulling away from the house.

"Thanks Sheriff...see you later tonight." Watching him leave, she opened the door and stepped inside.

 **XxX**

Later on that night, after Rocket had been freed from Doc's clinic and Jen had rested up, everyone in town met up at Flo's for their nightly get together.

"There ya'll are! C'mon, take your spots and relax!" Flo called out as she headed back inside to get the drinks.

Jen headed for her normal spot, Rocket's hood, and hopped on to wait for James. "So, how did the check-up go Rocket?"

"Don't ask..."

"That bad huh?" Letting out a soft chuckle, she gently patted his roof and leaned back slightly. As everyone talked about their day, she saw James, Zack and Dustin walking towards them. "Over here James!"

James waved back and headed over towards her, brushing dust off his clothes.

"So what were you doing today?" Jen asked as she moved over slightly to give him room.

"Wrestling in the woods."

"Huh...never took Zack for the wrestling type...but alright then..." She looked over when she saw Flo come back out then started handing out beer to the humans and Rocket, and high grade to the other cars.

"Well...they did most of the wrestling...Zack had Dustin pinned for...like...an hour..." James stated as he took a swing from his beer.

Jen almost choked on her spit when he said that. "Dude! I know about their relationship, you have any idea of the image you just gave me?" She let out a visible shudder and rubbed at her arms.

"Ya coulda told ME! We were playing hide and seek...and I found them..."

She stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before bursting out into laughter. "Oh my fucking lord! Hey Zack!" She jerked a finger over at James when her twin looked over. "Next time, don't bring him along!"

Zack turned bright red and glared at her. "Oh fuck you sis!"

Jen, in turn, mearly flipped him the bird.

"I just realized something Zack...you have your sisters ass."

Now it was Jen's turn to turn bright red. "JAMES!"

Groaning loudly, Zack covered his eyes with his hand. "Oh fuck the mental image..."

Rolling her eyes as everyone else laughed, Jen turned towards James and narrowed her eyes at him.

"What? What did I do?" James asked.

"Seriously? We JUST went over about you talking about my ass in public..." She blinked when he just grinned and passed her a beer. "Uh..."

"Can't help that you have a nice butt...and what's wrong?" He blinked in surprised when she pushed the beer back and said none for her. "Why?"

"No reason, just don't feel like drinking tonight..."

"Oh c'mon Jen!" Christine called as she sat next to her brother who was still mad about the prank earlier that day. "It's not like you have a bun in the oven!"

Jen stiffened right up when she heard that. James' eyes got as big as dinner plates.

Jen slowly turned toward James and, with a sheepish look on her face, said "Uh...sur...prise...?"

"Are...are you serious? Are you serious?!" James asked, not believing what he was hearing.

"You're pregnant?!" Said Rocket.

Jen said, "Heh...yeah...Doc confirmed last week...I'm about a month and a half along..."

James was so happy he could barely stand it. "I can't believe it. I'm gonna be a dad!"

"Oh, you'll believe it when I start getting fat..." Said Jen.

James looked at her stomach and said, "Gonna look like a snake that swallowed a basketball." Warranting a laugh from Jen.

"Fair warning to you all," said Rocket, "Don't call a pregnant human fat. You _will_ regret it!"

Jen nodded and said, "Seriously..." She leaned against James' chest while the others started congratulating them. She raised an eyebrow when she heard bets being made on the baby's gender. "You better not be doing that, _Evan_!"

"That wasn't _me_!" Evan lied.

Jen snorted and said, "Yeah, it's never you..." as she opened a bottle of water and took a sip.

James nuzzled with her, ran a hand over her stomach and said, "Wow... It didnt take us long..."

Rocket rolled his eyes. "Not surprising, seeing as you two have been going at it like rabbits. I _do_ sleep right under your bedroom til I get a place of my own."

Jen blushed darkly, "Sorry big bro..." She thought for a moment and said, "This kid is gonna have some weird parents..."

James nodded. "Oh believe me, I know."

Jen looked around at everyone at the Cafe and thought about how they had become one big family over the time they had lived together. She turned to James and asked, "You ready to be a parent...?"

James said, "I know we'll be better than our's..."

Jen leaned close and whispered, "But, You didn't even know your parents hun..."

James shrugged and said, "My father was a test tube...my mother was a Petri dish...so it shouldn't be hard to beat."

Jen said, "Those aren't parents..." And sighed when James says that's the point. "Look...we'll take this one day at a time and try to make sure this kid doesn't end up fucked up like we are..."

James chuckled and said, "I think you mean not as fucked up.., we're both pretty warped..."

Jen shrugged. "It's all the same really...no one here is really sane...we all have skeletons in the closet..." James hugged her tight.

Jen thought for a moment and said, "Our place doesn't have an extra room..."

James nodded and said, "Not yet.."

Jen paused a moment and said, "You're gonna build one, aren't you?"

James nodded and said, "I'll start drawing up plans first thing in the morning..."


	4. I'm Nico

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

Rocket yawned as he slowly woke up, stretching his wheels and rolling out of his part of the house. It had been a crazy month since Jen had told everyone that she was pregnant, but at the same time, one of the happiest. She smiled more, laughed more and just seemed to be that much happier.

Unknowing to everyone in town, a few miles into the desert, Dom stared down at the small truck cowering before him.

"You have your assignment?" Dom grunted.

"Y-yes...I pretend I'm a lost car" said the little pickup.

"Good." said Dom, "Do NOT dissapoint me!"

"I wont sir...I promise..."

"I DON'T want promises, I want RESULTS! And just to make sure no one looks at your left headlight..." Dom said as he raised a tire, bringing it down hard on the little trucks hood, making a huge dent. "Hold still you little oil stain!"

The little truck yelped when his father's large tire slammed into him, but he dared not move...he was so scared, he could feel himself starting to leak oil.

Dom continued to beat his son, making huge dents just about everywhere except for the left side of his frame. He wanted to make sure that when he was looked over, there would be no reason for that side to be checked. "Remember boy...failure is NOT an option for you. You're going to stay there until I make my move. I'll be watching everything you do, so you better keep your mouth shut. Am I clear, Nico?" He spat out the last part, making a face when he saw the oil stain in the sand. "You make me sick."

Nick was fighting back tears of pain and terror. But he managed to nod and say "Y-y-yes sir..."

"Good, now get out of my sight!" As Nico limped into the wasteland, Dom muttered, just loud enough to be heard, "Thank goodness your mother died giving birth...she'd'a seen ya and died'a shame!"

When Nico was a good distance away, he finally let the tears he had been holding back loose, not caring that his father could hear him from the camera he painfully installed just hours ago. As of right now, he truly was a lost little car.

Meanwhile back in town, most of the cars and humans were at Flo's chatting away about random things. What they were doing later on that day, making jokes to pull each others leg, or tire, and just having a good time.

Rocket was at his favorite pump, getting his tank topped off.

"How ya feeling, rocket?" Lightning asked.

"Not bad." said Rocket, "I think I'm just about healed up."

Lightning smirked. "Well enough for a race?"

Rocket smirked back. "I'll kick your fender Lightning...I grew up racing on dirt." Both of them however, quickly shut up when they saw Doc heading towards them. They both knew that if the old car had his way, Rocket wouldn't be allowed to race for several more months.

"No racing. " Doc stated, "You still need to heal."

"We're not going to race Doc...just have a friendly quick drive. I need to get some dirt under my wheels again. You told me yourself I need to get back into the rhythm of things and driving in the desert is one of them." He smiled to himself when he say Doc nod his front slightly, he had made his point and Doc was understanding it...or so it seemed.

Doc then raised his eye ridge. "A 'quick drive'? In the desert...with a racecar? Alright. You can go as fast as 40. And Sheriff will be watching from the ridge."

Both Rocket and Lightning groaned. "Come on Doc, we're both adults! We can take care of ourselves no problem!" Lightning stated, but the look on Doc's face said either take it or the 'race' was a no go.

"Ok, ok, deal!" said Rocket.

"C'mon man, let them have some fun!" The three of them turned to see Ramone driving up, his paintjob a nice deep black with blue designs. "He needs to race like I need to paint, it's part of us."

"You wouldn't paint with a broken airbrush, would you?" Doc asked.

"Uh... No" said Ramone

"Rocket shouldn't race with a still healing engine. I don't want him back in my clinic unless it's for his weekly checkup. Sheriff, you mind escorting these two to the desert and watching from the ridge please? Me and Ramone need to have a talk about what Rocket still can't do." "I'm right here you know..." Rocket grumbled but followed Lighting and Sheriff.

 **XxX**

They had been driving around for about half and hour when Rocket suddenly noticed a small dark blob off to the side, quickly slamming on his brakes so that he wouldn't loose sight of it.

"Holy!" Lightning said as he quickly jerked his wheels to the right, narrowly avoiding running into Rocket's fender. "Rocket, what the hell man! I could have crashed into you!"

"There someone out there..."

"What?"

"There's someone out in the desert, look!"

Lightning squinted and saw the dark blob in the distance. "Is this the start of another adventure?"

Rocket ignored him and quickly sped off towards the black blob, Sheriff and Lightning calling his name as they too gave chase. He was going to get into trouble with Doc later, he just knew it but something was telling him to hurry.

Nico continued wandering aimlessly. He wondered if he just kept driving, if he'd have enough fuel to make it to the interstate...when he heard a dull roar. That was when he noticed a billowing cloud of dust, moving toward him at high speed.

His eyes widened and he quickly looked around for a place to hide. He quickly started to panic when he realized the only place he could hide was under an outcrop of rock but the fear of behind found by whatever was making that noise and cloud of dust won out and he squeezed his tender frame into the small hole. More tears ran down his frame as the noise got louder and louder.

Rocket had seen the blob squeeze into a rock outcropping. He let off his accelerator and hit his brakes, sliding to a stop in front of the rocks.

Turning on his headlights so he could see into the darkness, he came frame to frame with a wide pair of dark brown eyes who squinted back at him and made a frightened noise. "Holy shit on a stick...SHERIFF! YOU MIGHT WANNA SEE THIS!"

"P-please..." The little car whimpered, "Don't hurt me..."

Rocket froze as a memory hit him, of him being the one hiding in a dark place and begging the human who found him not to hurt him. Just as quickly as it came, it was gone, leaving Rocket to shake his frame slightly before turning back to the clearly scared child. "It's okay..." He spoke gently, not wanting to frighten the kid more then he was. "I'm not going to hurt you...but you can't stay in there...you need to come out..."

The little pickup slowly rolled of his hiding place just as Lightning and Sheriff slid to a stop.

And just as quickly as he came out, he screamed and backed right back in, shaking more then ever when the entrance to his hiding spot was crowed. "Hey! HEY! Back up, he's scared enough as it is!"

"I need to see how bad he is Rocket." Sheriff stated.

" Have YOU ever been lost in the desert? Have YOU ever been so scared that you would hide in a place you could get stuck in? No! I have! Let ME handle this."

"Alright" Said sheriff, backing away. "Lightning, go get doc and Flo.

As Lightning quickly drove off, Rocket slowly inched his way back to the hiding place. "Hey buddy...I know my friends scared you...they mean well, but sometimes they're, you know...a little dense..." He smiled slightly when he heard a tiny sniffle and the crunch of dirt. "That's it...come on out, you're safe."

Nico rolled back out into the daylight, he was shaking like a leaf and it wasn't even cold out.

"P-p-please...I'm lost...s-s-someone hurt me..." Nico sunk low on his good wheels while Sheriff looked over his beaten side. When he lifted a tire to inspect the damage more, Nico screamed again. But instead of going back into the dark, he scurried behind Rocket.

"We'll have the doctor look at him. Do you need a tow or do you think you can make it?"

Nico didn't answer him, just pressed his uninjuried side against Rocket and continued to shake. Rocket however didn't know what to make of this...the kid reminded him so much of himself when he was lost and alone and it ate away at him like rust. "I think we should wait until Doc and Flo get here...he'll decide if the kid needs to get towed or not..."

Just then, they heard the sound of 3 V-8 engines approaching.

Rocket glanced in his side mirror and smiled gently at the little truck. "Don't worry kiddo, Doc might seem like a bit of a grump but he's the best there is. He'll fix you up in no time flat." "Please..." Nico said in a quiet voice. "Don't leave me..."

"I won't" said Rocket, "What's your name?"

Nico blinked and paused before answering. His father didn't say anything about keeping his real name a secret...and this car was so nice to him...it wouldn't hurt to tell the truth for once, would it? "Nico...I'm Nico..."

"Hi Nico." Rocket said gently, "My name is Rocket"

"Alright, Lightning said something about a hurt kid being out here?"

"Right behind me Doc...he's pretty spooked too."

"Can I take a look at him?"

"Sure, just make slow movements. I really don't want him going back into that hole again." Rocket watched as Doc made his way over to Nico, greatful when the kid didn't try to run away but instead pressed himself more firmly against Rocket. "He said someone hurt him."

Doc was able to see his heavily dented right side. "Looks like he was beaten up pretty badly. But it appears to be mostly cosmetic damage. A little hammer, a little body filler, a coat of paint, and you'll be your old self."

Nico watched as the much older car examined him, only touching some of the really painful dents when he wanted to make sure nothing was broken underneath. Rocket was right, this guy wasn't so bad after all...

Everyone stopped when they heard a low grumble come from Nico, who whimpered and backed up slightly.

"You hungry little guy? What say we go back to town and get you some fuel? You'll feel a lot better." Rocket stated as the others started making their way back.

Nico slowly nodded and followed along beside him at a slow pace, his frame aching the more he moved. He like Rocket, he was kind to him and it broke his engine to know that he was going to spy on him and his family.

He hoped that Dom would forget about his need for revenge and leave him here with the others, but he knew that would never happen.

Nico would never be free.

Remember! Reading + Reviewing equals one happy Deadly Fangs and McQueenfan95!


	5. A Little Hope

Disclaimer: See first chapter. Also, I own Hope.

 **XxX**

The woods were quiet as Zack walked along the narrow path he took daily. Normally there were the chirping of birds and the low buzz of insects but not today. Not even a wild human was in sight, though there were traces of campfires scattered here and there.

"Such a shame," Said Zack, "I wish I could keep them away from here."

Suddenly, his walkie cracked to life, Sams voice calling over it.

"Zack, It's Sam, can you hear me? Over."

Rolling his eyes, Zack took the walkie from his pocket and pressed the button on the side to answer. "What do you want Sam? I told you not to call me unless it was important. Over."

"This IS important, Zack" said Sam, "There's a storm on it's way in. It's going to hit in a matter of ten to twenty minutes. You need to get back here!"

Frowning deeply, Zack looked up and saw that storm clouds were indeed gathering and coming closer. "Copy that, I'll head back to town as soon as I'm done my patrol. Over."

"Roger, over and out." Sam said, before hanging up the mic.

Zack turned and started to make his way back toward town when he saw a small bundle of blankets.

"What the...? You weren't there a few minutes ago..." He carefully looked around the area, trying to see if there was anything near by, but all he heard was the rushing of wind through the trees. Slowly walking over to the blankets, he lifted a corner before quickly yanking off the top blanket.

That was when he saw the smaller bundle...it look like a baby bundle...

Eyes widening, he got down on his hands and knees and quickly moved the other blankets out of the way. Nestled in the middle, sleeping quietly, was an infant no more then nine months old.

"Oh...my...someone must have left this little baby here..."

Looking up at a rumble, he saw that the storm clouds were nearly right on top of him. Quickly slinging his rifle strap over his shoulder, he scooped up the baby, along with all the blankets and quickly started running back to town.

 **XxX**

Back in town, Sam fiddled with the controls on the small radio they had found and repaired. He continued to try and get a hold of Zack but due to the storm all he was getting was static. Outside, the rain was pouring.

"Zack! Zack, come in! Zack! Do you read me, Over?!" He shouted into the mic.

Try as he might nothing but static greeted him.

Suddenly the door to the small office burst open and someone covering their head with a plastic sheet burst into the room, rainwater dripping from their form.

The figure pulled it's hood down. "There you are" said James, "What are you doing with the radio?"

"James? Oh...I'm trying to reach Zack, he's out doing his daily patrol...I lost him when the storm hit and I can't get through on any frequency..."

James looked out the window at the storm. "Well, It's far too dangerous to go out after him..."

Sam shook his head when James told him to go home. "I can't...if Zack gets through and I'm not here, he'll have my head."

James sighed and said, "I'm not going to leave the radio unmanned...but you nee to get home...I bet your kids are probably scared shitless."

"But...this isn't your job...this is mine..." He winced when James brought up his nieces and nephew, which at this point at become his own children. "You...have a point...they don't do well in storms...never have..."

James nodded and said, "And they need someone to comfort them."

"Yeah...they do..." After a few more moments, Sam pushed himself up and grabbed his coat hanging from the wall.

James sat down at the chair in front of the radio. "Be safe, Sam"

Sam gave James one of his rare, yet small, smiles and nodded before turning the collar of his coat up and darting outside, closing the door behind him in his dash to get home.

James turned back to the radio and continued trying to reach Zack.

After close to 20 minutes of trying to hail Zack, the door to the office burst open again.

James spun around in his seat and saw Zack, drenched to the bone and holding a little bundle in his arms.

And it was at that point said bundle let out a ear piercing cry.

"Ah!" James said, covering his ears.

Zack winced painfully but didn't let go of the bundle and instead slowly unwrapped the soaked blankets from around it. When a little arm broke free and waved around, Jame's eyes widened.

"I-is...is that...what I think it is?" asked James.

"Yeah, it is...found it in the woods on my way back, someone just dumped it along my path." Dropping the last of the soaked blankets to the floor, they both looked at the baby who was shivering from the cold and still crying loudly.

"The poor thing" said James, "Must be freezing." he took off his jacket from under the plastic he was wrapped in and wrapped it around the baby.

Slowly, the crying stopped and the baby looked up at them with big brown eyes. "Aren't babies eyes suppose to be blue?"

"When they're born, yes...but his one must be old enough that the eyes changed already."

"Must be about nine months old."

Zack watched with growing alarm as the baby's face started turning bright red and it let out another loud cry. "Why's it doing that?! What's wrong with it?!"

The baby looked up at them with watery eyes and let out another cry as its tummy let out a growl.

"Sounds like it's hungry" Said James, shutting off the radio.

"Makes sense...who knows how long it went without food...look, the closest place is mine. We can get it fed and dry and figure out what to do with it after its basic needs are taken care of."

James took off his poncho and gave it to Zack. "Get that kid home safe and dry."

Allowing James to cover him with the poncho, Zack nodded and quickly headed back out into the storm, holding the baby close to his chest as he ran through the rain and mud.

James watched from the door way as Zack ran to the safety of his home. James then closed the door to the office and ran as hard as he could back to his home.

With both arms wrapped around the baby, Zack couldn't get the door open as he didn't feel confident enough to hold the squirming baby with one arm, so he did the next best thing...

He started kicking the door with his foot.

Dustin came to the door and opened it. He was rubbing one eye, as he had just been woken up from a nap.

Shoving him aside, Zack shook the poncho from around his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. "Find some soft food, quick. I don't want it crying again." He failed to see the confused look on Dustin's face as he headed towards their small kitchen and put the baby on the table, still wrapped in James jacket.

Dustin followed Zack into their kitchen, still looking bewildered.

Wincing and taking a step back when the baby started crying again, Zack growled and rubbed at his face. "Forget it, I'll find some food! Just...watch it, will you?" He opened the fridge and started looking around for something that the baby could eat.

Dustin, meanwhile, slowly walked up to the crying baby, its little arms flailing.

Dustin wanted to ask Zack where the baby had come from, but Zack was busy digging in the fridge.

Dustin opened one of the cabinets, took out a jar of apple sauce, then whistled for Zack.

Looking over, Zack saw what he was holding and groaned in relief. "Great, now we can feed it...what?! I don't know if it's a boy or a girl, I didn't check! Don't look at me like that!"

'Well, one of us is gonna have to check, and it's not gonna be me.' Dustin signed.

Zack glared at him. "Oh fuck you Dustin..." Stomping over to the table, he opened the jacket up and started to remove the fabric diaper, making a face at the state of it but forcing himself to look at the now naked, shivering baby. "...it's a girl."

'That answers that.' Dustin signed, then popped the lid off the apple sauce.

"Whatever...give me that will you?" Grabbing the smallest spoon they had, Zack tried to feed the baby girl but she wouldn't open her mouth whenever the spoon touched her lips. "Will you just eat?!"

Dustin watched as the baby wailed even louder when Zack raised his voice and took the jar from him.

Dustin then set his hand on the little girl's forehead and gently rubbed it, trying to calm her. 'You're scaring the crap out of her, you need to be calm and gentle.'

"Since when have you ever known me to be calm and gentle, you big Moose?" Watching with narrowed eyes as Dustin quickly washed his hands then scooped out a small amount with his finger instead of the spoon, and proceeded to make funny faces until the baby opened her mouth wide.

And he slowly and gently scooped small amounts of apple sauce into her little mouth.

"Great, you got her to eat...I'm going to get sink filled with warm water, give her a bath or something...keep it up." Dustin gave a whistle as his answer and stopped feeding the baby for a moment, his eyes wide as she smiled up at him. Whistling again, he grinned himself when the baby smiled even wider.

Zack turned around and saw the baby smiling up at him. "Awww..."

Pay Zack no attention, Dust carefully scooped up the squirming infant and carried her over to the sink, which was filled about halfway with warm water. He then gently lowered the squirming infant into the warm water.

Zack watched as Dustin carefully started bathing the infant, washing away all the dirt that had stuck to her like a second skin. He blinked when Dustin suddenly raised one hand and sighed a simple word. "Hope? What about it?"

Dustin looked at Zack and shook his head. 'No. Her name. Should be Hope."

"Dustin, we're not...we can't just..." Sighing heavily, Zack rubbed at his face and gave a small nod. "Hope is fine...we'll clean out the spare room for her..."

Dustin kissed his cheek and finished washing Hope

"Let's make one thing very clear though...I am not going to be called Mom!" Zack yelled over his shoulder as he went to go clean out the spare room.

Dustin snickered to himself as he finished bathing Hope and wrapped her in a towel.

Meanwhile, back out in the rain, James had just gotten home and threw open the door before quickly shutting it behind him.

Jen looked up from the book she was reading and said, "Hi Hon- you're soaking wet! What were you doing outside without your jacket?

"And your raincoat?" She continued as she quickly headed over to the kitchen and grabbed a small towel before going back to him and scrubbing his hair dry. "I don't need you sick!"

"It's a long story that's not mine to tell," said James, "But I gave them to Zack, he needed them more."

"Listen you..." She said as she poked him on the nose. "I'm pregnant, the last thing I need is to get sick because YOU got sick! Upstairs, shower, now."

"Right away." said James. He bolted up the stairs, stripped off his wet clothes, and took a nice, hot shower.

 **XxX**

Not a fan of the ending, so I might change it up later...but what's this? Another human? Lets see how our military boys manage this one.


	6. Midnight Intruder

Disclaimer: See previous chapters. I also own Sterling, Dingo and Jackal.

I know it's been...*checks* Over a year since I last posted something for this story...but frankly, the last year has been rather...busy. And the last 3 months have been rather bad. Van broke down...my last remaining Nanna passed away...I got hit by a car then only a few days ago, I was almost hit by a truck running a red light...

I have no luck anymore.

Anyway, please enjoy what's been sitting on my memory stick for the last year plus...

 **XxX**

The moon was full as it shone it's glow upon the sleeping town. Everyone was in their homes fast asleep, unaware of what was lurking outside.

At that moment, a trash can was knocked over, raising a huge racket.

James snapped awake and jumped out of bed. "INTRUDER!" He screamed, scrabbling for his rifle.

As he fumbled slightly to get his pants on, Jen slowly sat up and turned on a light, blinking away the sleep in her eyes while one hand rested upon her rounding belly. "James? What's going on?"

"I heard something knock over a trash can outside." He said, buttoning his pants.

"Oh...more then likely it's a wild human again...you know they've been getting closer to town in the last few weeks." She yawned as she pushed back the blankets and got out of bed.

"Probably, but I need to see what it is." Said James. He grabbed his trusty M-16, ran down the stairs, out the front door, and around the corner of the house. Where he saw a figure by the side of the house. "FREEZE! DON'T MOVE, DIRTBAG!" He screamed, pointing his gun at the figure.

The figure did as it was told for all of three seconds before it let out a loud scream and threw something at James before quickly darting away.

James lowered his gun and started giving chase, screaming his head off to roust the others.

For a moment, it looked like James lost the figure as it darted around a corner then seemed to vanish, up until looked up and saw a shadow jumping from roof to roof.

James pointed his rifle and shouted, "FREEZE! OR I'M GOING TO FIRE!" He screamed.

Again, the figure screamed and threw something at James before darting into an open window. James had to quickly move away before the object could hit him, and it was then he realized that the shadow had gone into Sam's house.

"Oh, hell no!" James said to no one, running to Sam's front door. He planted his left foot and kicked as hard as he could, near the knob. The locked door broke through the jamb and swung open. James quickly ran into the house and up the stairs. He had to make sure Sam and the kids were alright.

Screams could already be heard as one of the kids woke up from the noise of James breaking down the door and saw the figure standing in their bedroom. Sam burst from his room just as James reached the second floor and ran towards where the girls slept.

James shouted, "Sam! Get the kids to your room and barricade the door! I'll get you when its safe!" As he ran into the girl's room. In a matter of seconds, he had the figure cornered in the bedroom. Without even giving a moment's thought, he spun his rifle around and slammed the butt of the stock into the figure's head, knocking him out with one, swift blow.

Minutes later, he had the guy hogged tied and gagged. "You're gonna pay for scaring those girls, you prick."

As James dragged the stranger out into the street, Everyone was starting to come out of their homes.

"What the hell is going on out here?! This was the first night in weeks Hope was sleeping through the night!" Zack said as Dustin held a crying Hope behind him. "We heard a bunch of screaming going on, what's happening?" Evan asked as he walked into the street.

James threw the unconscious stranger on the ground in the street and said, "This son of a bitch broke into Sam's house... I caught him in the girl's bedroom..."

"The kids okay?" James turned and saw that it was Kindle who spoke. He kept a fair distance away from James, as they were still bitter over the last time they 'spoke' to each other but the concern in his voice was real.

"I think so," Said James, "Sam took the kids to his room...I told him to barricade the door...which reminds me...someone take this dirt bag to the jail...I gotta let him know the coast is clear."

James turned when one of the guys stepped forward to take the creeper to jail and headed back into Sam's house.

James went inside, walked up the stairs to Sam's bedroom and knocked on the door. "Sam? It's all clear. Threat neutralized."

Noises of something scrapping against the floor could be heard before the door slowly creaked open. Sam stood there holding an old pipe while the three kids huddled together on his bed crying softly.

"It's alright" Said James, "He's locked up in the impound lot."

"He scared my kids...made one of my girls wet herself..." He gripped the pipe tighter. "They don't want to sleep in that room anymore."

James nodded." I can understand...do you want me to stand guard at the door?"

"If you don't mind...I'm not going to get anymore sleep tonight, but the kids might feel better if there's someone watching the house..."

James nodded again. "Of course. I'll get those, then I'll be downstairs if you need me."

After getting the movies for Sam to play for the kids, James went back downstairs and stood guard at the broken door, blinking in surprise when he saw Jen walking towards him.

"Hey sweetie" James said. "What're you doing over here? You should be back in bed resting."

Jen shrugged a shoulder, her shirt pressing up against her rounding stomach as she moved. "Wanted to check and see what was going on. Saw Kindle dragging someone down the street by the back of their shirt."

James nodded and said, "I caught that guy in the kid's bedroom...had to hit him with my rifle."

"He was in the kids room? Are they alright?"

"Scared outta their wits, but they're not hurt."

"Good, if he hurt them I would have to kill him." Her flat tone told James that she was deadly serious.

"I pointed my gun at him...took everything I had not to pull the trigger."

"No one would have blamed you if you did...but in any case, you're not coming back home tonight, huh?"

"I'm afraid not..." he said, "I had to kick the door open, so now it won't close. So, I'll have to stand guard until Sam can fix it."

"Alright...I'll you some coffee before I go back to bed." With that, she turned and left.

"Thank you," James said, "I love you."

 **XxX**

Hours passed and everyone went about their day as normal, save for the fact that the stranger was screaming and yelling at them since he woke up chained to a pole in the middle of the impound lot. All the guys were taking turns keeping an eye on him til they figured out what to do.

James was standing like a statue in front of Sam's front door, holding his rifle across his chest.

"At ease soldier." Zack said as he walked up. "I'm here to relieve you for an hour. Go get something to eat."

James saluted and said, "Thank you." And left to eat.

Just as he was about to go inside his house, he saw Christine running at top speed towards him. "James! We have company!"

James' head snapped up. "Who?! Where!? How many?!"

"They're coming from the east, two of them. One's hurt or knocked out cause the other one is carrying him on his back." She was breathing hard but pointed in the direction she saw the newcomers. Normally they wouldn't care but after what happened last night, everyone was on edge.

"Alright, if one is wounded, they're probably looking for help." James said.

"What if it's a trap?"

James looked to the horizon. "We'll keep our guard up"

She nodded. "Should I go get one of the others? Jen's watching the prisoner but I think Kindle or my brother can come by to help."

"Yes, and why is Jen watching the prisoner by herself?"

"Remember what happened when Evan called Jen fat a few weeks ago? That's pretty much what the guy did, so now he's scared she'll go in there and end him."

James nodded, "Ah yes... never piss her off... for any reason."

"Yeah...but seriously, do you want me to send for help?" She watched as he headed towards where the newcomers where coming from.

"Keep an eye on Sam's place." Was all James said.

As he jogged in the direction Christine gave him, he saw a couple of men heading towards him. The one walking had silver like hair and was wearing an old, dirty and torn doctors coat while the other had dark brown hair.

"WHO GOES THERE!" James hollered.

The one in the doctors coat stopped and looked up. "Please, my husband needs medical help. We ran out of his medicine."

"Let me see your hands, then we'll talk" said James.

"If I show you my hands, my husband will fall. There's a reason I'm carrying him."

"We had a break in last night, so we have heightened security. C'mon, let's get you some medicine."

"Thank you...hear that Dingo? We found humans who are willing to help" He said to the man on his back when he let out a small groan of pain. "Wait...you said a break in?"

James nodded and said, "But don't worry about that now. DOC! WE GOT A WOUNDED HUMAN!"

"I might have to...was it a young male, a bit smaller then me with a ponytail? Yells alot and was using throwing knives?" He blinked when he saw Doc was a car but otherwise did nothing. "I need a stretcher as well as medicine to help internal burns of the large intestine."

"Those were throwing knives?!" James asked, in shock, "Fucker almost hit me right in the goddamn head!"

Doc raised an eyebrow when he was told where the man was wounded, but nodded. "Yes, I have medicine in my clinic."

"I'm so sorry about that...Jackal is a bit...unstable, when his brother's health is on the line. Believe, he'll be punished as soon as my husband is well enough to travel again. And good," He turned to Doc. "Do you happen to have the liquid form or the cream?"

James looked at the other man and said, flatly, "He broke into a child's bedroom, last night...threw two knives at me, and almost got killed."

Doc shrugged and said, "Couldn't tell ya."

"I see..." The man narrowed his eyes behind the chipped glasses he wore. "We will need to agree upon a proper punishment for him then. But for now, my husband needs to be looked after."

James nodded and said, "Just follow Dr. Hudson, he will take care of you. Now, I need to return to guard duty."

"Understood...thank you Mr...?"

"James. Just James."

"Thank you James. I'm Sterling and my husband is Dingo. We'll speak again in a few hours." And with that, he went to lay Dingo down on a stretcher.

 **XxX**

And that's pretty much it. I cannot promise when chapter 7 will come out, but I hope you can enjoy what I've posted for now.

Also, if there are any typos, sorry but I'm not gonna bother to correct them.

Remember! Reading + Review equals one happy Deadly Fangs!


	7. Nursery Disaster

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

Well...it hasn't been a year this time since the last update, but...yeah...my life is shit right now...and really, this story only gets attention when both me and the co-author are in the mood to work on it. And lately, they've been the ones pushing for it to be completed. I'm just along for the ride at this point...

For those of you that are currious as to what's going on in my life, I have two EEnE stories up that explain everything. Read them.

I know this chapter isn't the greatest...but seeing as only a handful of you read my Cars stories anymore, I'm sort of numb to the whole "lack of intrest" thing...

Anyway, enjoy what there is.

 **XxX**

"Alright you two. You have a very simple task. I want you to apply the base coat in here. Just the base coat. Nothing else. Understand?" James said to Zack and Evan.

"Yeah, yeah. I know what to do. Don't understand why you had to ask Clumsy over here to help out..." Zack snorted as he jerked his thumb over at Evan who was standing next to him.

Evan glared at him. "I'm not that clumsy, you ass."

"Because..." James said, "This is a two man job. I'd help you, but Dustin and I have to finish building those cribs for Hope and our baby." When Zack opened his mouth again, James added, "If I'm going to trust something to hold my baby, I'd rather it be something I've built myself."

"Fair enough..." Zack grunted.

"C'mon, slow poke, are you going to help or stand there like a bump on a log?" Evan teased.

"Shut your pie hole, Wanderer...!" Zack snapped, "I'm trying to talk with my brother-in-law...!"

James rolled his eyes. "And I don't want any fighting...and before I forget, don't open the cans of top coat. We're going to finish the painting after we learn if the baby is a boy or a girl."

Zack grinned widely. "It's a boy. I just know it."

"No way!" Evan stated as he grabbed a couple of rollers. "It's a girl, you can tell from the way she's carrying."

"Enough" James fixed them both with a look. "Just put the primer on the walls. That's it. Not a drop of paint more, not a brush stroke less. Understand?"

They both agreed and set to work. It was nice for a while, as the two of them didn't want to bring on the wrath of Jen should they wake her up from her nap in the living room downstairs. But, Zack just couldn't keep his mouth shut and Evan loved to poke fun at the ex-fighter. It started out with simple jabs...Evan making fun of the way Zack stood or the way he handled the roller...then it moved back to what gender the baby would be.

"I'm telling you Zack, the way Jen is carrying? She's going to have a girl."

Zack grunted and said, "My sister ain't havin' no girl!"

Evan smirked and said, "You also said she wasn't going to get married...how'd that work out?"

Meanwhile, in the backyard, James and Dustin were hard at work, sawing and sanding down 2x4s that were going to become cribs.

Dustin was happily sanding away, a walkie talkie strapped to his hip, as he had left Hope with Sam. The guy was more then willing to babysit for a few hours while Dustin and Zack got their work done. It also ensured that Sam wouldn't be out under the hot sun, cooking himself to a crisp repairing things

Something almost everyone in town agreed they had to keep an eye out for...

"Well, this board is nice and smooth" James said, "You almost done with the cutting?"

Holding up a finger, Dustin inspected the board once more to make sure the measurements were correct before handing the board off to James. It wouldn't do for one of the cribs to be crooked or have a weak spot.

James looked the board over, then ran sandpaper over all of the edges, giving it a nice, smooth finish.

'Everything's looking good so far. Thanks again for letting me help make Hope's crib with you. This cuts the working time in half, at least.' Dustin quickly signed before taking a drink from his water container.

"And thank you for helping me build our's," James replied.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Evan and Zack's argument was getting out of hand. So much so that they had both dropped their rollers and were getting in each other's faces.

"Just admit you're fucking wrong Wanderer, and I might ease up on you! My sister isn't having a girl!"

"You don't know that!" Evan spat back, giving Zack a hard shove. "How many pregnant women have you seen? Huh? I've been around dozens in my lifetime! I know when a woman is having a boy or a girl and Jen is gonna have a girl!"

"You know NOTHING!" Zack snapped.

Evan smirked, knowing very well just how deep he was getting under Zack's skin. "I know a hell of a lot more then you! For example, did you know when Jen was younger, she hated thunderstorms? No? Well I did! I know more about her then you ever will!"

Zack, having heard quite enough and just wanting Evan to stop talking, grabbed the unopened can of blue paint and swung it like a club, attempting to hit him in the head.

But Evan was faster then he looked. He ducked, avoiding the can as it swung to where his head once was and grabbed the can of pink paint, ready to fight back should the need arise. "Awww, am I getting on your nerves Zack? Gonna cry like a baby?"

"Gonna beat you to death with this can of paint!" Zack cried as he swung the can around.

"You don't know Jen at all! You heard all the stories but you didn't see anything happen! You can't relate!" Evan swung his own can at Zack and the result of the two of them hitting each other caused both cans to pop open, spilling their contents all over the room.

Dustin, having heard the noises coming from upstairs turn to shouts, stopped his work and looked up towards the second story windows in concern.

James dropped the board he was sanding and took off into the house, running at full tilt up the stairs. When he got to the nursery and looked in, he was speechless for a moment. The once clean and spotless room was now a mess of pink and blue. The paint was everywhere...the floors, which he had spent weeks sanding down...the walls that he had put up just the day before and even the ceiling wasn't spared, as spots of color dripped down in blobs. The main mess, however, was Zack and Evan, who were so busy trying to attack one another they didn't notice James standing in the entrance of the doorway.

Raising two fingers to his mouth he whistled, loudly... bringing the brawl to an abrupt end. The two men froze in their tracks, both prepared to hit the other with their now empty cans.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" James demanded. "You had one job! ONE JOB! I said 'Don't open the paint'... ONLY ONE WAY TO FUCK UP THOSE INSTRUCTIONS!"

Evan and Zack stared at James with wide eyes, both of them...along with the once clean, white walls and the spotless hardwood floor...covered in a mix of blue and pink paint. Even with the walls splattered in Blue and Pink...James could only see Red as he yelled at the two paint covered men before him. Quickly, they pointed at each other, neither of them fully willing to take the blame or admit they had any wrong doing in what had transpired.

"Evan was the one who opened the paint cans, not me!" Zack blurted out.

"What? You dirty liar, YOU opened them! I was defending myself against you!" Evan shouted back.

"SHUT UP!" James bellowed loud enough to echo off the mountains through the open window. He slowly turned to Evan and pointed a finger at him. "You're fired."

"But it wasn't my fault! I was defending myself!" He took a step back when James fixed him with a glare so strong, it could have killed him.

"Get out of my house before I throw you out the window" James said in a tone that would have made Satan crap himself.

Without so much as a peep, Evan scurried passed him, down the stairs and out of the house, where he ran until he was at the old store he shared with his sister.

Zack, on the other hand, was looking proud, if still leery. "Told you Wanderers were no good."

James now turned his smoultering glare that you could light a cigar with onto Zack. "You're fired too."

"WHAT!?" Zack exploded, looking just as pissed off as James. "I didn't do anything! It was all Evan's fault!"

"I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT!' James shouted again, making Zack silent. "Because the two of you clowns can't get along, look at the fucking mess you made! I'm going to have to rip out the entire interior of this room and start from scratch!"

"It's not that...bad..." He trailed off as he took in the full damage of the room. There was even paint dripping from the ceiling fan, which would also have to be replaced.

"Three weeks..." James said, letting his rage show, "Three. Fucking. Weeks. GONE! So, Fuck you, Zack! You're fucking fired!" Zack opened his mouth to protest, but James yelled, "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

Now, there was something to be said about Zack. He was stubborn to a fault...when he felt something wasn't he fault, he was determined for others to see it that way too. Sadly, he was about to go toe to toe with a very pissed off and stressed father to be. As Zack stormed forward to argue, that was all it took. James released all of his rage and all of the stress that had been piling on since he'd found himself in this tiny map dot of a town... and let it out in one massive punch to the side of Zack's head.

From downstairs, both Dustin and Jen, who was now awake from her nap on the couch, heard a loud bang, followed by swearing, some dull thumps which they both realizes were fists smashing into flesh, followed by a huge bang that shook the foundation of the house. Dustin sprinted up the stairs and ran to the nursery, only to find James standing over Zack, who was laying knocked out on the floor.

'James, what happened?' Dustin quickly signed before kneeling down and pressing a finger to Zack's neck, feeling the solid thump under his fingers.

James panted a couple times before responding, "He didn't know when to shut up and leave."

'What even happened?' he signed, when James motioned to the room itself, Dustin finally noticed all the work that had been put into it, along with the paint that had destroyed it.

James just shook his head. "Take him and get him out of here...he's not allowed back until he learns some manners...but I expect you back here tomorrow morning so we can fix this."

Signing nothing, Dustin picked Zack up in a fireman's carry and quickly left the house.

From downstairs, Jen carefully moved to the bottom of the stairs and looked up. "James? What the hell just happened?"

"I may have just killed your brother," the reply came down the stairs.

"From the looks of things, you just knocked him out. Seriously though, what happened? I heard Evan leave then you and Zack were yelling at each other."

James walked to the top of the stairs. "Your brother and "The Wanderer" had a paint fight."

"You know I don't like titles like that slapped on our neighbours." She sighed and rubbed at her face, then said, "Alright, great...how much damage are we looking at here?"

"Right now, be thankful he's not being called "Murder Victim A"... and you should come see the damage for yourself."

"Ah stairs, my mortal enemy as of late..." Moving slower then normal, Jen made her way up the stairs and sniffed at the pungent smell filling the air. "Okay, I can smell the mess from here..."

"Just wait till you see the mess," James stated in the most deadpan voice possible as he pushed open the nursery door.

Jen kept her reaction carefully in check, knowing that if she showed so much as a hint of how angry she was, James would insist she head back downstairs or to their room for another nap.

"So, we're agreed?" James asked, "Evan and Zack never work together again?"

"I believe that's the best course of action..."

James slowly closed the door as they moved toward their bedroom. "But I will say one thing... I think I got out all the stress I had piled up...beating the crap out of your brother does wonders for that."

They suddenly heard a voice calling through an open window. "Hey! Everyone alright up there?!"

"Oh lord, Rocket..." Jen hurried over to the window and looked out. "Hey bro! Yeah, we're okay...had a little...issue...with Zack and Evan. They ruined the nursery."

"I beat Zack like a Bass Drum!" James hollered out the window.

"A man after me own heart!" Rocket replied

"Guys please...Zack is our brother Rocket, remember?" Jen said.

"Doesn't mean I haven't wanted to club him, Sis! Did you throw Evan down the stairs?!" Rocket called.

"No! He knew when to cut his losses and get out!"

"You're both immature jerks sometimes, you know that?" Jen moved away from the window and headed for the stairs. If she was going to talk to her brother, she was going to do so face to fender, not through a window. Besides, she was curious about how his little shadow was doing.

"Yeah, but it's too late!" James called after her, "You already love us!"

"There are many things I could say around now in response to that, but someone has to be the adult here..." Slowly rubbing her rounding belly, she walked outside and rubbed Rocket's hood. "So big brother, how's the lil truck you took under your tire doing?"

"He's much better since Ramone fixed the dents...but he seems to be having awful nightmares about getting them...I thik he was abused by his father something fierce." Rocket stated.

Jen's right eye twitched, her mind going back to when she was hurt by Him.

Rocket continued, "He won't talk to me at all about what happened. Everytime I bring it up, he zips away...speaking of, for a truck, he sure moves quick."

"He had to learn to be quick from an early age..." Jen shuddered as James walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Remember how He would push me to run for miles without water...? He might have been treated the same way..."

Rocket nodded. "Wouldn't surprise me at this point...meaning we might be heading out for another adventure, huh? More shooting stuff and maybe some blowing things up?"

"Do NOT joke about that, we don't know what Gods are listening," Jen said.

"I'm not joking," Rocket said. "Knowing our history with handling these situations, it seems that your husband is going to bring an overdue end to someone else."

"I'm pregnant and hormonal," Jen warned her brother as he carefully rolled back a foot. "Don't piss me off. No one will like that."

"And I can see you won't be far behind, ready to tear the jerk's hood off," Rocket said.

"The only 'adventure' I want to get through, is this." Rubbing her belly again, Jen thought she felt a tiny flutter of movement. "I finally got over throwing up every morning. I don't want anything else going on while this baby is in me."

"I think we'd ALL appreciate that" James said, putting his arm around her.

"You're just happy I havne't thrown up on you as of late."

"Yeah, well...that too." James gave her a grin as Rocket chuckled.

Needless to say, they didn't know just what kind of adventure they would soon be in.

 **XxX**

Sooooo...there you have it.

Yeah, not much but whatever...I might work on this some more, or my co-author might think of something to add...I don't know...like I said, I'm numb and along fo the ride...

Remember! Reading + Reviewing equals one happy Deadly Fangs and McQueenfan95!


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